• Published 8th Jan 2013
  • 4,399 Views, 722 Comments

Dovahshy May Cry - Draconis187



Fluttershy has disappeared, heralding the fall of Equestria as the Changelings invade. The yellow mare has returned after a year of absence to set things right but the Changelings are just the beginning.

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Conflicts and Convictions

Dovahshy May Cry
Conflicts and Convictions
Author: Draconis187

“So what happened after that dear?” Rarity asked.

“Well, Patty decided to live with us in the Devil May Cry despite Vergil’s protests.” Fluttershy responded. “He eventually left one day without telling anypony and left Force Edge behind, mounted on the wall above the old jukebox.”

“What’s a ‘jukebox’?” Applejack asked.

“We-” She began but there was a knock at the door. Rarity opened it to find three ponies: Bon Bon, Rebel and Legion.

“Why hello dear it’s so nice to see you. Have you come to try that fabulous dress I told you about the other day?” Rarity asked with a cheerful smile.

“I'm afraid I'm not here on a social visit. These ponies have some important information for you all.” Bon Bon replied, gesturing to Legion and Rebel.

“Oh okay then, come in.” She said with a slightly confused look on her face. The three Earth ponies walked into the Carousel Boutique.

Pinkie shot up to look at the blue and brown ponies. “New friends?! YAY!” She screamed. “I get to use my new party cannon!”

She pulled out Kalina Ann from her mane and aimed it at them. She pulled the trigger and launched a rocket. They closed their eyes and put their hooves up in front of their faces in fear. As it got near them it detonated in a hail of confetti. As they lowered their hooves they saw they were wearing matching white tuxedos. Pinkie then turned Kalina Ann to the ceiling and fired again. One shower of multi-coloured confetti later and everypony - except for Vergil and Fluttershy – were all wearing party outfits and the boutique was all kitted out for a party: punch bowl and assorted small foods on a table while there were a variety of party games all over. Rarity fainted at the sight of her boutique.

“Greetings I am Legion and this is my brother: Rebel.” Legion said after recomposing himself, addressing the party of heroes and pointing to Rebel. “We have information that you may want to hear.”

“Why not go to the Princesses? If this information is so important, why not inform them of this?” Twilight asked.

The three ponies looked at each other for a few seconds in silence. “The reason is simple: we wouldn’t be trusted if we were to tell just how we came about this information.”

“Why wouldn’t they trust you?” Twilight asked.

“Bon Bon, you aren't saying?” Lyra said from her seat next to Vergil. He was beginning to get a little uncomfortable with how close she was trying to get to him.

Bon Bon nodded her head but hung it low as she spoke. “My real name is Sweetie Drops. I-I… am a-a Ch-Changeling.”

Bon Bon assumed her original, true form: she had the same manestyle as she always had but the colouration was more on the dull side while there were multiple holes near the ends of her mane and tail hairs as well as her legs.

Everypony - other than Lyra and the two other Changelings - were completely shocked. They never thought that Bon Bon was a Changeling. Most ponies knew her for years: living with Lyra, telling her that her dreams of humans were nothing but fantasy, nagging her to stop sitting in that peculiar position in the park whenever she played her lyre.

“A Changeling?!” Dash shouted, fuming with rage at how long she had deceived them. She pulled out Nevan and brought the scythe down on her head, only to be blocked by Lyra’s body.

“What?!” She shouted in surprise. Nevan’s teeth had sunk deep into her hide, making her drip blood all over the boutique’s floor (much to Rarity’s dismay, needless to say she fainted again). Dash removed the blade from Lyra’s back who then collapsed to the floor.

“Lyra!” Bon Bon shouted, running up to her friend’s bleeding form. “Why? Why did you have to go and do stupid thing like that for?!”

“Simple, they wouldn’t have given you a chance to explain without a reason.” Lyra deadpanned.

“I-I-I'm sorry!” Dash said as she dropped Nevan in shock.

“I’ll be okay Dash, hey… where did Fluttershy and Twilight go?” Lyra pointed out. The two mares were missing.

The others were trying to help stop the bleeding by wrapping up the wound in some of Rarity’s spare cloth (she refused to let them use the good linen). Vergil merely observed the scene from a distance, the scene of friends selflessly helping each other still a foreign concept to him. After a few minutes had passed, the door opened again to the form of Twilight, Fluttershy and the local herbalist and potions master: the zebra Zecora.

“Oh dear, what have we here? I was told of its severity but not of its complexity.” The striped denizen of the Everfree Forest stated as she took out a salve from her side. “You must remain still, to move now would suit you ill.”

Vergil raised an eyebrow at this creature’s word choice as she applied the salve to Lyra’s wounds after they removed the makeshift bandages. After reapplying the bandages, Lyra was able to stand again, only to be stopped by Zecora’s stern face and raised hoof.

“You must lie down, the bed is where you must be bound.” She said as she turned to leave, her job now complete. Everypony waved at her with a smile on their faces as she left (except for Vergil who lost interest after her second rhyme).

“Why did you put yourself between Bon Bon and Dash?” Twilight asked.

“Because, I already knew she was a Changeling. It was how we met each other years back, before I moved to Ponyville.” Lyra responded. “Sadly that’s a story for another day, I've known her – the true her – for years and I trust her so you should too.”

“I dunno…” Dash said as she rolled her eyes. Twilight gave her a very nasty look which made her blush with embarrassment. “Okay, let’s give her a chance, one chance.”

“Thanks everypony.” Lyra said. At that Legion and Rebel changed back into their true forms.

“Legion and Rebel are a part of the Changeling army. Specifically they run reconnaissance missions. They are also the best at not lethal killing methods.” Bon Bon said. “I left the Changeling Hive many, many years ago. I never knew of this war until Ponyville got attacked. Lyra and I were left alone once I revealed to a few Changelings that I was one of them.”

“So then, this information you were talking about?” Twilight said with a raised eyebrow. Legion stepped forward.

“Do you have any maps of Equestria as it currently stands?” He asked. Twilight nodded.

“I have a number of different maps in the library. We should continue this conversation there.” She said. With that the group – and the re-disguised Changelings – went off to Golden Oaks.

After the group arrived at Golden Oaks, Twilight sent Spike out early on his errands outside the library while she pulled out a relatively large map (it covered 1/3 of the floor). Rebel stepped forward this time, having turned himself into a unicorn. Picking up a few objects he began to lay out the situation for the ponies.

“Okay, we were stationed here.” He said, placing a marker on Trottingham. “King Clavus was based here, in Fillydelphia. According to reports this is also the largest occupying force in terms of numbers to the size of the city’s dimensions. This is also where Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are being held.”

“What?! They got my brother and my sister-in-law?!” Twilight shouted.

“I’m afraid so and it gets worse. You see Changelings don’t always torture their captives but when they do, it is never pretty. The screaming can be heard for miles, begging for death. I don’t know if they are even still alive. Legion has heard that Clavus himself has been performing the tortures. There is only one thing that bothers me so badly about His Majesty.” He said with a solemn expression on his face.

“What is it?” Fluttershy interjected.

“Clavus was never like this a year or two back. He used to be a fair and kind ruler to us Changelings. Sure he and our Queen Chrysalis would have massive arguments which shook the very foundations of the Hive’s structure but a war on Equestria was never one of the topics. He once went out to contemplate at his favourite spot: an underground waterfall and came back slightly different. At first we all thought it was some form of epiphany or revelation. It wasn’t until we heard him start to issue out orders to scout out the Canterlot borders that we grew suspicious of his actions.”

“What was he asking you to do?” Twilight asked.

“We had to find and collect some strange artefacts. The skull of some creature that wasn’t in any known bestiary logs; a strange black orb that seemed to contain a liquid from some ruins in the Griffon Empire; then there was a silver Amulet with a green jewel inset from the Canterlot Vaults. What he plans on doing with them, I cannot say but whatever it is, it will be revealed in the Crystal Empire. And soon.” Rebel finished.

“Do you possess any images of these items?” Vergil asked.

Legion threw a dossier at Vergil, as it hit and slid across the floor, a few of the images fell out for Vergil to see. All of a sudden his appearance changed, he had activated his Devil Trigger. His coat had turned to scales of the same shade of blue as his coat. The horns on his head gave him a sort of v-shaped look while his green eyes were terrifying to look at. The scabbard of Yamato had become a part of his left arm, covered in the same blue scales.

“Vergil calm down, it’s alright.” Fluttershy said, hugging the demon. Vergil calmed down and returned back to normal.

“I apologise for losing my composure. These objects have a demonic presence about them, they may be able to open a portal to the Demon World but that raises a question: are our worlds connected by the Demon World? If that is the case then are there other worlds that share the same connection? We need to stop this Clavus but we need to upset his forces first.”

“What do you have in mind Vergil?” Twilight asked. The half-demon smirked.

“We go to this ‘Fillydelphia.’” Vergil replied.

“We will need to inform the Princesses of this though and you three will have to come with.” Twilight said, turning her attention to Bon Bon and the other two Changelings.

“But what will they do to us?” Rebel asked.

“We’ll vouch for the accuracy and importance of your story.” Twilight replied. “If Lyra trusts Bon Bon and she trusts you, we can too.”

After a few moments the group consisting of three Changelings, a half-demon, two Pegasi, four unicorns and two Earth ponies left the library and headed for the train station to get to Canterlot.

**** **** **** ****

King Clavus was walking through one of the ravaged streets in the Crystal Empire. There were huge pillars of smoke towering over the skyline, emanating from fresh fire sources. Clavus had a particular destination in mind: the Crystal Empire Library.

He entered the huge building with wall to wall bookshelves. He knew that what he sought was somewhere inside. As he searched, he was soon alerted to the fact that he was not alone. He looked around and found a few Crystal ponies with some fillies, scared at the sight of the Changeling king. He chuckled as screaming rang through the usually quiet building.

Brushing off a small smudge of blood from his armour, he walked past the mutilated bodies of the ponies and fillies. He had no reason to care about what happened to a few ponies, he didn’t care about the fate of the Changeling race, what mattered to him was a special little book. After a few hours of near fruitless searching, he found it.

“’The Demon World: Myth or Reality?’” He said, reading the cover. He opened it and searched for the ritual he needed. “Ah here we are, ‘How to summon a high level demon.’ This should help keep the ponies occupied for a while.”

He collected the bloody remains of the ponies he had murdered and used the lightning Ebony greatsword to carve the etchings into the floor in a circular pattern which he then filled with the ponies’ blood. He then began to speak in tongues as he read the passage from the book.

Outside the building, the clouds were moving on their own accord and turning an unnatural black colour. Thunder rolled and lightning flashed through the skies, petrifying the remaining ponies and unnerving a large number of Changelings.

Inside the building a large four-legged was beginning to emerge from the pit the ritual circle had created. The creature was encased in ice and possessed three heads. It actually resembled a dog, it even had a collar on it. The beast towered over Clavus and tore the ceiling above it off.

“Cerberus!” Clavus shouted. “I called you here to do my bidding.”

“Understood master.” The demon-dog said, bowing its three heads at Clavus’ hooves. “How may I be of assistance to you?”

“To the south of here is a place known as Canterlot. I want you to go there and destroy it by any means necessary.” Clavus replied.

“It shall be done.” Cerberus responded. With that, Cerberus tore through the remainder of the library and charged off into the south.

“Enjoy your little present Celestia.” Clavus said softly as he lit the – somewhat still standing – library up. He walked off towards the centre of the Crystal Empire, where a cart containing three particular items was being stored.

**** **** **** ****

“How long until we reach Canterlot?” Bloodwing cried out, getting impatient. He had always been impatient when getting to a battle.

“We should arrive in two more days sir.” The helmsgriffon replied. Bloodwing sighed.

“Why couldn’t I be in command of those new jet powered models?” He said to himself.

“Because you said you don’t trust anything that flies faster than you?” The helmsgriffon replied softly.

“Ah, that’s right.” Bloodwing commented.

An alarm went off in the bridge which caused Bloodwing’s eyes to open wide and his ears to perk up. “What is it helmsgriffon?”

“Sir, multiple contacts bearing 250° and closing. They appear to be on an intercept course with us sir.”

Bloodwing cried out in happiness and rubbed his claws together. “Finally something to break my boredom! All claws to battlestations, red alert. You there with the radar, can you tell me who or what we are facing?”

The scared griffon replied. “It’s the Ares’ Dagger! It’s the renegade 67th Fleet!”

“So Gustav, you have finally decided to come out of hiding.” Bloodwing mused under his breath. “All cannons, open fire!”

**** **** **** ****

“What?! Cadance and Shining Armor are held in Fillydelphia?!” Celestia cried out.

The group had arrived in Canterlot and met with Celestia, Luna and Gilda. Gilda hung her head a bit – as did her retinue – when they saw Fluttershy. The events that had transpired were still very fresh on her mind… and her body.

“So then, how did you two come across this information?” Celestia asked, Rebel and Legion.

The two Changelings revealed themselves to the Princesses and the Royal Guard. At first they were shocked but Celestia composed herself and began to speak after she stopped the Guards from attacking them.

“That would make sense. What I must now ask you is: why are you prepared to be branded traitors to your own kind?” She asked.

“We have a very specific dietary requirement: actual food. We are the only Changelings currently alive who possess this strange and unique trait. We were kept alive thanks to our king but we fear that now he may change his mind, should he succeed.” Legion replied.

“So now we head for Fillydelphia and free my brother.” Twilight said. Gilda shook her head.

“Sorry but that would be suicide. Fillydelphia is fortified at every entrance and the airway above is tighter than Rainbow Dash’s old camp locker.” Dash’s face went a little red as Gilda said this.

“We need a plan Twilight.” She said.

“So we need to come up with a proper plan to figure out how to bypass their defences?” Twilight asked. Celestia nodded her head.

Legion and Rebel were taken to the War Room along with everypony else, and Vergil. They opened the city map of Fillydelphia and used the magic in their horns: Legion’s was the same shade of blue his coat was when in disguise while Rebel’s was brown, which also matched his disguise’s coat colour. With a number of markers, they began to lay out the situation for the ponies.

“We can’t tell you much since we were based in Trottingham but we studied the city before the attack and the defensive strategies they used would remain the same as for Trottingham.” Legion began. “There are always several teams of five to ten Changelings on the outskirts of the city, they all stay in constant contact with each other so once you attack, they will know you have arrived. I would be prepared to find an Elite or two in the defence groups if I were you.”

“Now I suspect that Clavus would have used this building as his centre of operations.” Rebel added, pointing to the City Centre. “Not only does it have a library and small, hidden armoury but it also serves as a makeshift prison facility since the lower levels have jail cells.”

“So we have our target: the City Centre.” Vergil stated.

“You got it bub. We hit ‘em hard and fast.” Gilda said with a snide smile.

“Now to the defences: there are a number of varying breeds of Changeling.” Bon Bon spoke up. “The first is the most common: us. Normal Changelings are the most versatile and make excellent spies as you already know. The next would be Changebulls. These hulking creatures are still Changelings but have lost their capacity for flight and magic, which also means they can't shapeshift. They are very tough and strong, they used to do the hardest forms of manual labour.”

“So you’re a Changeling too, huh?” Gilda said. Bon Bon nodded her head. “Never would’ve guessed.”

“Thanks, I used to be called Sweetie Drops but I prefer Bon Bon now.” She replied. “The next are the Elites: Heavy Elites love their clubs, hammers and greataxes. Note they are almost always encased in armour. These are the toughest to fight but are the slowest. Time your attacks and they will fall. Next: Pyro Elites: Like their name suggests, their expertise lies in causing fires. They either set their weapons alight or use incendiary bombs. It is rare but not unheard of for them to use both.”

“Hold on, ‘to use both.’ Ok got it!” Twilight said, quill and parchment floating in midair.

“Next are the Rangers. These use ballistae or large bows. If they are carrying smaller weapons, they will throw them at you. Best advice: dodge their attacks and get close, they suck at close quarters combat. Next are the Blademasters or Melee Elite. These carry a variety of balanced close quarters weapons like swords, axes, even the odd shield. You will have to keep your wits about you and adapt when one tries to kill you. Lancets now are the last on the list. They revel in using polearm class weapons to keep their opponents at a distance. Use long ranged attacks to deal with them or if you’re fast enough, get in between the polearm and them before they strike.”

“And that is all I know of the Changelings. Anything new you find that I don’t know about, I have this one piece of advice: adapt. That’s all!” Bon Bon cried out. “Come on Lyra, we should head home. I’ll make your favourite.”

“Yay! Stir Fry! I’ll get the chopsticks!” She screamed and ran off to the train station.

“I’ll see you all later… and good luck.” She said as she left the War Room.

Legion and Rebel looked at each other and nodded. “We should be going too, we might be able to stay with Sweetie Drops but if it makes you uncomfortable we’ll move somewhere less conspicuous.” Legion remarked to the group as they assumed their disguises.

“No it is quite alright. I’m sure Bon Bon can help you fit in better so you don’t draw unwanted attention.” Twilight said with an approving nod from Celestia.

“Thank you all for being so understanding, Bon Bon! Hold up, we’re coming with you!” Rebel shouted.

“I wonder if she still likes raw meat.” Legion asked.

“One way to find out brother.” Rebel winked. “Oh, don’t worry. It’s not an animal native to this part of Equestria. We keep this with us to cook ourselves. It is tender and juicy, just thinking about it makes me salivate.”

“I thought only you two could eat normal food.” Twilight said with a confused look on her face.

“We are, Sweetie Drops just likes the taste of it.” Rebel replied.

The two Changelings left the War Room, giving chase to Bon Bon and Lyra. Celestia turned to the group with a determined look on her face. She looked towards Gilda who nodded her head and laid out some new markers: each one represented one of the group, there was even one for Vergil.

“Now listen up wimps. Celestia and Luna will be staying behind to help co-ordinate with the Griffon Air Forces. I was informed that the 23rd, 45th, 54th and 98th Fleets were on route to Canterlot. Once they get here, we can attack the Crystal Empire and take out Clavus. They will be here in three days so we have until then to take out Fillydelphia and rescue the Princess and your brother Twilight.” Gilda said with an air of pride in her voice.

“Now here is what we are going to do. Fluttershy, Vergil: you two will distract and take out as many Changelings as possible. Send them home crying to their mothers or kill them. Dash and I will be keeping an eye out in the air. Trixie, you and Rarity will pelt ‘em with your fireworks, keep ‘em confused. Everypony else will head for the City Centre and free the captives.” She continued. “Right, that’s basically what we will be doing. You all have an hour to collect your gear before we head out.”

“I’ll send you home.” Celestia said. “I will be at Twilight’s library after one hour.”

Celestia then teleported the group to their respective homes, one after another. Dash made sure her home was locked up; Applejack said goodbye to her family and picked up an old hammer Big Mac used to crush apples with before they got the miller; Rarity gave Opalescence a hug – which she didn’t like – and sent out messages to her clients stating that she will be unavailable for an unknown amount of time. Twilight said goodbye to Spike and her nocturnal assistant: Owlowiscious. Fluttershy made sure she had Beowulf, Pandora, her pistols and Agni and Rudra. Vergil left his red coat on Fluttershy’s couch. Pinkie did a small ‘farewell for now but it’s not really farewell it’s more of a see you soon than a farewell’ party. The Cakes didn’t get it either.

After an hour the group was waiting outside Twilight’s Library. Celestia arrived to teleport them back to Canterlot. As they went out the eastern gates of Canterlot, Celestia stopped them.

“Before you go my little ponies I have a special gift for you.” She said, teleporting a box next to her. “Here.”

Inside were varying sets of armour. On top of the armours were the six ponies’ Elements. The group wore the armour, except for Fluttershy.

“Is there something wrong with your armour dear?” Celestia asked.

“I learned a long time ago that armour slows me down too much, I‘ll be fine.” She responded as she clipped her Element around her neck.

“I understand. Be strong, the fates of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor rest in your hooves.” The group went off along the mountainside and once they were out of sight, Celestia turned around to walk back into the castle. “Good luck.”

A small tear fell onto the ground as the Princess walked back inside.